Ethical Self-Disclosure in Group Therapy Leadership with Matthew Halvorson, LPC, CGP

Bio

Matt Halvorson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Group Psychotherapist. He earned his Master of Arts in Educational Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. Before starting Halvorson Counseling, his private practice in Indiana, Matt spent eight years as a therapist at a group practice in Austin, Texas, including three years serving as the Director of the Master’s Internship Program.

Matt developed his expertise in group psychotherapy through a year-long co-leadership experience with his mentor, Jev Sikes, and subsequently founded and led two long-term interpersonal process groups, each meeting weekly for more than five and a half years. He currently works with individuals, couples, and groups and provides clinical training and supervision to emerging mental health professionals. His clinical work and teaching are shaped by the belief that meaningful growth happens in connection with others.

Description

Ethical Self-Disclosure in Group Therapy Leadership: Navigating the Balance Between Authenticity and Professional Boundaries

Self-disclosure can be a powerful tool in group psychotherapy, but knowing when, why, and how much to disclose requires careful clinical judgment. Unlike individual therapy, a group leader's disclosure is witnessed and interpreted by multiple members simultaneously, each with their own histories, identities, relational patterns, and therapeutic needs.

This webinar will explore the ethical and clinical complexities of therapist self-disclosure in group psychotherapy, with particular attention to the distinction between immediate, here-and-now disclosure and non-immediate disclosure of personal experiences or history. Participants will examine the potential benefits and risks of intentional self-disclosure.

Participants will also consider how motivation, group development, emotional climate, cultural identity, power dynamics, and the potential impact on individual members should inform decisions about whether and how to disclose. The goal is to step beyond stating whether group therapists should or should not self-disclose, and to help clinicians develop greater discernment and intentionality in deciding when disclosure serves the therapeutic process and when it may inadvertently serve the needs of the therapist.